Artists using Paper Watermarks
The usage of paper watermarks as an artistic technique is rare. Yes, chiaroscuro watermarks are early examples of watermark art, and papermakers have twisted wire into elaborate designs to mark their papers (read about traditional watermarks). While we might be familiar with traditional processes and purposes, there are contemporary artists exploring the potential of watermarks to be visually transformative and also content-rich elements of their art.
Below is a short list of artists employing this perhaps under-utilized process.
Aïdée Bernard
Hidden watermarked words, textures, and plant fibers come to life in Aidee Bernard's installed paper work.
https://aidee-bernard.com/
Roberto Mannino
Roberto Mannino has an impressive range of paper works; these eloquently simple watermarked sheets speak volumes.
https://robertomannino.it/
Michelle Wilson
"Through the use of watermarks, this installation creates a “haunting” in the paper itself, evoking the immense deforestation that occurs every year to keep up with the demand for paper. The shredded junk mail beneath the Ghost Trees serves to further emphasize this waste."
Winsome Jobling
“My passion is watermarks, hidden images in paper which, reference ownership, craftsmanship, a time and place. These images or text add another layer of meaning. I build up layers of colour by dipping a watermarked mould many times, often using found objects.”
Paper Portfolio 5: Watermarks in Handmade Paper, Modern and Historic
Did you know that Hand Papermaking Magazine has a series of Paper Portfolios, limited edition collections of handmade paperworks centered around a theme? Portfolio 5 is a fabulous collection of watermarked sheets, with artists using a range of techniques with contemporary papers and historic moulds.
Artists in the portfolio: Shannon Brock, Wendy Cain, Kathryn and Howard Clark, Fabriano Papermill, Paul Denhoed, Dard Hunter III, Rick Johnson, Kristin Kavanagh, Tom Leech, Katie MacGregor and Bernie Vinzani, Brian Queen, Robbin Ami Silverberg, Mina Takahashi, Peter Thomas, Cynthia Thompson, and Gangolf Ulbricht.
https://www.handpapermaking.org/portfolios/watermarks-in-handmade-paper-modern-and-historic
What's a watermark, exactly? Read this.